Andrew Augustus, WPRO News
Rhode Island saw the high school graduation rate rise to 81 percent in 2014.
“We are incredibly pleased about this news because this is showing a trend of continuing increases in graduation rates, dropout rates are declining, and all of this is happening while we are raising expatiations for students,” said Education Commissioner Deborah Gist.
The rate in 2014 rose one point from 2013, and since 2009, the state has seen a five and a half point improvement.
In addition to the graduation rate, the dropout rate has dropped eight points since 2009.
“The students are stepping up, they’re meeting the expectations, and more students are graduating and more of the students who are graduating are better prepared then they’ve ever been before,” said Gist.
The improvements seen are consistent across a range of student groups of racial and economic background.
Governor Gina Raimondo said the teachers, students and leaders deserve high marks for their efforts.
“I am very pleased to see these across-the-board improvements in our graduation rates,” said Chair of the Board of Education Eva-Marie Mancuso.
Commissioner Gist praised the works of the teachers and students for keeping the graduation rates on the rise in the past years.
“We hold high expectations for our students, and our students have stepped up to meet this challenge,” said Gist.
